systems thinking is not a new concept to health system strengthening; however, one question remains unanswered: how policy-makers, system designers and consultants with a system thinking philosophy should act (have acted) as potential change agents in actually gaining opportunities to introduce systems thinking? development of comprehensive multi-year plans (cmyps) for immunization system is on...

The present review of the literature aims at analysing the challenges facing burn management in low- and middleincome countries (LMICs) and exploring probable modalities to optimize burn management in these countries. In Part 1, the epidemiology of burn injuries and the formidable challenges for proper management due to limited resources and inaccessibility to sophisticated skills and technolog...

In their editorial, Tangcharoensathien et al1 describe the challenges of industry market promotion and policy interference from Big Tobacco, Alcohol, and Food in addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). They provide an overview of the increasing influence of corporate interest in emerging eco...

Influenza is a global public health threat, with seasonal and pandemic influenza resulting in substantial impact on health, the economy and society. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently estimated that every year, 290 000 to 650 000 deaths are associated with respiratory diseases from seasonal influenza.1 This estimate takes into account findings from recent influenza respiratory mor...

insight into the impact of agriculture on the advance of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in lowand middleincome countries (LMICs). The linked demographic and dietary transitions, away from rural areas and traditional foods and towards urban centres and more processed and energy-dense foods, are seen to precipitate rises in NCDs such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But the complex polit...

in modern decentralised health systems, district and local managers are increasingly responsible for financing, managing, and delivering healthcare. however, their lack of adequate skills and competencies are a critical barrier to improved performance of health systems. given the financial and human resource, constraints of relying on traditional face-to-face training to upskill a large and dis...

The world is facing a worsening youth employment crisis. In response, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is back on the development agenda after years of neglect. This systematic review examined the evidence from studies evaluating the impacts of TVET interventions for young people in lowand middleincome countries (LMICs). The 26 included studies evaluated 20 different inter...

The Council for International Organizations ofMedical Sciences (CIOMS) was established jointly by the World HealthOrganization (WHO)andtheUnitedNationsEducational, Scientific andCulturalOrganization (UNESCO) in 1949 as an international, nongovernmental, nonprofit organization and now includes 45 international, national, and associate member organizations, representing many of the biomedical dis...

Traditionally the United Nations (UN) and its specialised agencies (including the World Health Organization [WHO], the United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF], and the United Nations Statistics Division), as well as the World Bank and the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, have generated estimates of health indicators. For many countries, especially lowand middleincome cou...

Agenda-setting is a crucial step for inclusive health policies in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Enlightened by Ha et al manuscript, this commentary paper argues that ‘political impetus’ is the key to the successful agenda-setting of health policies in LMICs, though other determinants may also play the role during the process. This Vietnamese case study presents a good example fo...